The Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) recently announced the four exemplary educators from across the country named finalists for the 2022 National Teacher of the Year. Among them are: Autumn Rivera, the 2022 Colorado Teacher of the Year, is a sixth-grade science teacher who encourages students to make a difference now, rather than
A genius project—also called genius hour (Davis, 2022; Mulvahill, 2018), enigma mission (George Lucas Educational Foundation, 2019), or passion project (Bowersox, 2020; Wormeli, 2018)—is a form of personalized learning in which students engage in sustained, self-directed inquiry for part of the school day. Genius projects are a natural fit for the middle grades because they
Read More… from Research to Practice: Implementing Genius Projects in the Middle Grades
In January 2021, I sat in Starbucks® with a teenager. Jacob was seeking advice about his future and was cautious about the current state of the world. He was keenly aware of the fragile economy, of the volatility of the marketplace, and of the uncertainty leaders face today. When I asked Jacob what his dreams
In response to recent proposed legislation, particularly that which seeks to limit the supports available to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) students in their school communities, the AMLE Board of Trustees seeks to reaffirm and emphasize what we have known for decades to be best practice in educating young adolescents. While proposed legislation
It’s never been “easy” to be a teacher. This year is no different, to say the least. I’ve traveled to more than 20 schools since August of 2021, from Fort Myers, Florida to Spokane Washington, and the sentiment is shared. Students are still reeling from being home, being back, being with masks, then without, then
Read More… from The SEL On-Ramp: Easy to Do Strategies to Remove Non-Academic Barriers
When the Mississippi Department of Education reached out to AMLE to partner on a transitions toolkit for schools across the state, we jumped at the opportunity to support the work. The multi-disciplinary team they assembled aimed to create a roadmap for schools that supported consistent, positive transitions for middle school students while allowing each individual